Mississippi River–Gulf Outlet Canal
The Mississippi River–Gulf Outlet Canal is a 76 mi (122 km) channel constructed by the United States Army Corps of Engineers at the direction of Congress in the mid-20th century that provided a shorter route between the Gulf of Mexico and New Orleans' inner harbor Industrial Canal via the Intracoastal Waterway. In 2005, the MRGO channeled Hurricane Katrina's storm surge into the heart of Greater New Orleans, contributing significantly to the subsequent multiple engineering failures experienced by the region's hurricane protection network. In the aftermath the channel was closed. A permanent storm surge barrier was constructed in the MRGO in 2009, and the channel has been closed to maritime shipping.
The MRGO and an outlet into Lake Borgne, approximately 50 miles (80 km) up the canal from its mouth and 15 miles (24 km) east of New Orleans (view towards the southwest)
Intersection of MRGO (to right) with the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, as seen from I-510 Bridge
Tugboat and barge in MRGO at Shell Beach, St. Bernard Parish
Inscription on house in storm-surge devastated neighborhood of Chalmette, Louisiana suggests that the ruins be used to fill MRGO.
United States Army Corps of Engineers
The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is both a direct reporting unit (DRU) and the military engineering branch of the United States Army that has three primary mission areas: Engineer Regiment, military construction, and civil works. USACE has 37,000 civilian and military personnel, making it one of the world's largest public engineering, design, and construction management agencies. The USACE workforce is approximately 97% civilian, 3% active duty military. The civilian workforce is primarily located in the United States, Europe and in select Middle East office locations. Civilians do not function as active duty military and are not required to be in active war and combat zones, however volunteer opportunities do exist for civilians to do so.
The headquarters of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Norfolk District in Norfolk, Virginia
Olmsted Locks and Dam on the Ohio River in Olmsted, Illinois, was under construction for over 20 years under the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' watch; it opened in 2018.
Celebratory proceedings in 2006 for the opening of a new women's center in Iraq, constructed by the Corps of Engineers
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dredge Tauracavor 3 in New York Harbor